Upright outlet box support



Feb. 28, 1956 w. MAIER 2,736,527

UPRIGHT OUTLET BOX SUPPORT Filed Feb. 12, 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent UPRIGHT OUTLET BOX SUPPORT William Maier, Stratford, Conn.

Application February 12, 1953, Serial No. 336,521

2 Claims. (Cl. 24s-22s The invention relates to outlet box supports, and more particularly to an upright outlet box support for hung ceiling wiring.

In the construction of suspended ceilings for fireproof construction it is customary to suspend the ceiling from overhead beams by means of a plurality of spaced channel members. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple and effective means for supporting an outlet box in an upright position upon such channel member.

A further object is to provide an upright outlet box support having a button or the like onto which the outlet box may be snapped without disassembly or the use of lock nuts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an upright outlet box support having hook means adapted for ready engagement with the lower lip or flange of the channel member.

A further object is to provide a vertical outlet box support equipped with a hook for ready engagement with the lower lip or flange of the channel bar and also with clamping means separate from the lower hook and engageable with the upper lip or flange of the channel bar in such a manner as to firmly hold the support in upright position.

A further object is to provide means for readily supporting an outlet box in any desired adjusted position directly above a supporting channel bar or the like.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description, in which are set forth by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation, a specific embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view showing an outlet box supported in an upright position from a horizontal channel beam;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary section similar to Fig. 1 but with portions broken away and on a larger scale, showing in dotted lines the manner of assembling the upright support on the beam; and

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the spring clamping member.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral denotes a conventional channel iron member or beam which may be of the type employed in the construction of overhead ceilings. The channel iron member 10 as shown is arranged in a horizontal position and may be assumed to be one of a plurality of spaced channel members used to suspend a ceiling from overhead beams or the like in a manner well known to the art. In the position shown the web 11 of the channel member lies in a vertical plane and the upper and lower lips or flanges 12 and 13 lie in substantial parallel horizontal planes. The ends of the channel member may be provided with a pair of outturned fastening flaps 14 and 15 formed integral with the upper and lower lips 12 and 13, respectively, and also with a fastening flange 16 integral with the web 11. As shown these flanges lie in the same vertical plane and are provided with apertures to receive screws or other fastening means for securing the channel member to vertical surfaces of adjacent members of a building construction such as a pair of joists, beams, side walls or the like, as is well known in the art.

in accordance with my invention an outlet box or the like may be securely and readily attached at a desiredadjusted position directly above the channel member 10. This is accomplished by the use of an upright outlet box supporting member 20 which is provided with a hooked portion 22 at the lower end thereof so shaped that a part 23 will fit under the lower face of the lower lip or flange 13, and another portion 24 which extends inwardly at an acute angle to the part 23 will extend over the top of the lower flange 13 of the channel bar 10.

As shown the upright portion of the supporting member 20 is vertically slotted as indicated at 25 for a sub stantial portion of its length and is provided with side flanges 27, 27 which are in turn inwardly flanged as indicated at 28 and 29. An outlet box 30 of any suitable construction may be secured to the upright support 20 at any desired height by means of a fastening button 31 which may be similar to that disclosed in the application of Elbridge G. Smith and William Maier, Serial No. 37,428, filed July 7, 1948. As shown, the outlet box comprises a base portion 50 and a wall portion 51 ex tending outwardly therefrom at substantially right angles. It is the purpose of the present invention to support the outlet box with the base portion 50 in substantially the same vertical plane as the web 11 in the channel member 10 and with the wall portion 51 projecting out-- wardly above and spaced from the horizontal flanges of the web portion. As disclosed in the said application the fastening button is provided with outwardly inclined spring locking lugs whereby the outlet box may be readily snapped onto the button and retained thereon without the use of lock nuts. The button 31 is adapted to be secured at any desired height upon the support in the manner disclosed in said application. In order to hold the support 20 in the vertical position with the outlet box directly above the flanges of the channel member 10 as indicated in the accompanying drawing, a suitable fastening member or hooked clamp generally indicated by the reference numeral 40 is employed coacting with the hook 22 which engages the lower flange of the channel member but separate and independent thereof. Such fastening member 40 is provided with a hooked portion adapted to be engaged with the upper flange or lip 12 of the channel member 11, and another portion adapted to adjustably engage the support 20.

As shown, the fastening member or hooked clamp 40 comprises a screw member 41 and a spring clamping member 42 coacting therewith. The clamping member 42 comprises a central saddle portion 43 having an aperture 44 through which the threaded shank 50 of the screw member 41 is passed, and a pair of hook shaped wing portions 45, 46, one of which (45) is adapted to engage the under side of the upper lip or flange 12 of the channel member 10 while the other (46) is adapted on tightening the screw member 41 to engage the threads of the screw shank and serve as a lock nut to prevent accidental withdrawal of the screw. In use the shank 50 of the screw member 41 passes through the slot 25 in the upright support and is provided with a nut 51 which is adapted to be drawn into engagement with the rear of the upright member as the screw member is tightened.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the installation of an outlet box at a desired distance directly above the channel member 10 in accordance with my invention is a very simple matter. The button 31 having been secured in the desired adjusted position upon the Upr h m mb 29 the O t ox 3. is snappe thereon, remaining in position without the use of lock nuts. The lower hooked portion 22 of the upright support is engaged with the lower lip 13 of the channel It), after which the support is brought to upright position with its lower part substantially parallel with and adjacent to the rear face of the channel web 11, whereupon the hooked portion 45 of the fastening member 40 is engaged over the upper flange of the channel and the clamping screw 41 tightened. The outlet box is then ready for wiring.

The invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration but it will be obvious that numerous modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. For

example, other clamping means than the specific fasten-- ing member 40 may be provided coacting with the hook 22 for holding the support in upright position.

I claim:

1. In combination with a channel bar supported in a horizontal position With its web in a vertical plane and its upper and lower flanges in parallel horizontal planes, an upright outlet box support comprising an elongated slotted box carrying member, fastener means for an outlet box adjustably carried by said slotted member intermediate the ends thereof, and means at the lower end of the elongated member coacting with the channel bar for holding the elongated member in upright position with a portion thereof directly contacting the vertical web of the channel bar, comprising an integral platelike hook member including a lower horizontal portion adapted to fit against the under surface of the lower flange of the web, and an end portion bent at an acute angle to the horizontal portion and extending diagonally upwardly and inwardly over the top of the lower flange, a hooked clamp spaced above from the hook member and adjustably carried by the slotted portion of the elongated member, said hooked clamp including a spring clamping member comprising an apertured saddle portion having an integral hook portion for engaging the under surface of the upper horizontal flange of the chanl nel bar, and a screw member passing through the aperture in the saddle and through the slotted elongated member, said elongated member, when supported by said spaced hook member and clamp, projecting vertically upwardly from the channel bar, and the outlet box fastener means lying directly above the flanges of the channel bar.

2. In combination with a channel bar supported in horizontal position with its web in a vertical plane and its upper and lower flanges in parallel horizontal planes, and an electrical outlet box having a base portion and a Wall portion extending outwardly from the base portion; means for adjustably supporting the outlet box in spaced relation to the channel bar with its base portion in the same vertical plane as the Web of the channel bar and the wall portion directly above the horizon tal flanges of the channel bar, said means comprising an elongated vertically slotted outlet box carrying member, fastener means for the outlet box adjustably carried by the slotted member intermediate the ends thereof, an integral hook member projecting from and integral with the lower end of the elongated box carrying member engaging the lower flange of the channel bar when the parts are assembled, and a clamp member adjustably mounted above the lower hook member having a hook portion engaging beneath the lower surface of the upper flange of the channel bar, said clamp member including a screw portion extending through the slot of the said elongated outlet box carrying member coacting with a nut for drawing the upright member tightly against the vertical web in the channel bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,675,921 Buchanan July 3, 1928 1,983,670 Knight Dec. 11, 1934 2,464,672 Clapp Mar. 15, 19.49

2,470,991 Kindorf et al. May 24, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 169,589 Austria Nov. 26, 19,51 

